I just made my first HF contact!

Holy smokes! I just made my first HF contact! I’m hooked! My patience has paid off! Thank you Chameleon Antenna! More to come on this beautiful antenna!

This antenna has out performed every single wire antenna i’ve tried here on my HOA restricted lot!

I was using only 10w!

The details: QSO was with W6KV out of Los Angeles, California at a distance of 1,975 kilometers! Luckily he had a Yagi which he could point in my direction, but a few other folks heard me from Kansas too! So I quickly snagged a few other QSO’s! I was using 10w, but soon increased it to 15w.

Here’s the power specifications for the loop (copied directly from the manual):

Inside, the antenna does not work so well, I can receive pretty well if I’m close to a window, but transmitting with such low power (10w) I’m not being heard, so looks like placing this antenna outside and away from things helps. When I had it near my window inside (with aluminum framing) it was difficult to reach a low SWR (the manual even says to keep it away from everything!), but when it’s this cold outside in Texas I’m keeping my butt warm! I’ve come to the conclusion that where I live & with all the noise & what not that it’s going to be best if I get out and away from my subdivision to do some work, however that’s going to come at a price. When I’m QRP, I can only use up to 10 watts on my Elecraft transceiver, although this may be great for CW and some digital modes, for SSB, I’ve heard more power is better. So for a new ham, this may be a bit of a challenge. Starting with QRP I’ve heard can be frustrating, but hey, if my first contact was with someone 1,975 kilometers away on this antenna, if I improve my surroundings and conditions it should be easier right? Wishful thinking 🙂 Here’s a few pictures of the antenna: